Valve structure for steam-engines.



S. 61 J. KING.

VALVE STRUCTURE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13. 19 4.

LE1 9., Patented Jan.16,1917.

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S. (I: 1. KING.

VALVE STRUCTURE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I3, 19M.

I I I Patented J 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W25 T JV UFETE soLouron KING sun JOSEPH KING, or TAZEWELL COUNTY, ILLrnois.

VALVE STRUCTURE FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1917.

Application filed July 13, 1914. Serial No. 850,684.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that we, Soronox lime and Josnrrr Kine, citizens of the United States, residing in the county of Tazewell and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Structure for titeanrlingines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descri 'ition of the invention. which will onable others skilled in the art tohwhich it appertains to lllkilifl and use the same.

This invention relates to steam engines and particularly to a peculiar arrangement of ports between its cylinder and steam chest, and a valve adapted for reversing the direction of rotation of the engine and act to throttle it.

The primary object is to construct a very simple form of valve mechanism that will be totally independent of any of the operating portions of the engine especially of the locomotive type wherein it is usual to require the engineer to lift heavy parts of the engine mechanism in the reversing operation.

Still another important object is to provide a valve structure of a type in which the steam pressure will not act to hold the valve and prevent its movement, and that the arrangementof the parts will be very economical in the use of the steam.

Another object is to provide in anenginc an exceedingly simple and easily constructed form of valve mechanism as distinguished from some of the older forms of reversing devices.

The invention consists in providing for the steam chest a series of ports to communicate with the cylinderarnl to provide separate walls for the cylinder and the said steam chest and place in the space between the walls a snugly sliding alveplate having a series of holes certain of which can be brought into register with certain of. the holes in the walls of the said. steam chest wher-by the steam may be directed into the cylinder at either side of the piston and by which the reversal of the direction of rotation of the engine may be obtained, all of which will be pointed out at length herein, while looking to the waste of as little steam as possible.

It has been customary, especially in locomotive types of engines, to connect the re versing valve mechanism to a heavy linkmotion structure so that in order to shift the valve to reverse the engine, it is necessary to lift the heavy link mechanism and in fact quite often this act cannot be performed at all. Because of this fact we have provided a reversing valve preferably in the form of a flat plate which lies between two spaced *alls, there being no pressure of steam upon'said valve at any time sufficient to prevent its easy movement.

We are aware that devices in the nature of that to be described herein have been patented but as distinguished from ours they are very wasteful of steam due to the structures employed.

In order to make the invention clearly understood we have provided the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a part of an engine cylinder and a steam chestshowingour invention in connection therewith. Figs. 2, 3,4 and 5 are similar illustrations showing certain positions of valves therein. Fig. 6 shows a slide valve in per spective.

In the first live figures of the drawings A indicates the cylinder of the engine provided in its wall with steam passages B and C, as is customary, extending to opposite ends of the cylinder, said passages terminating in ports E F-respectively at the middle oi the length of the cylinder and separated by a wall portion D. In the wall of the cylinder outward from each port E F and communicating with the passages B and C respectively are ports G H, there being thus four ports in the cylinder wall.

J indicates a valve which is preferably a flat plate adapted to lie flat against the face of the cylinder wall. K is a plate which constitutes the inner wall of the steam chest L. Said plate K overlies the said valve J being spaced from the cylinder wall by a rectai'lgular frame M shown in section in the several figures a distance just sufficient to provide for the said valve a snug sliding fit. The valve is provided withthree ports or openings N O P so spaced that any two of them will register at the same time with two of the ports E F,G H, two different positions being shown in Figs. 1 and l. The valve is controlled by a valve rod Qwhich extendsthrough the frame M above referred to, there being a suitable stufling box for the same.

The plate K, the inner wall of the steam chest, is'provided with ports S T U03 in register with the ports H F E G respectively OI" the cylinder wall.

W is a slide valve lying upon the plate K within the steam chest as clearly shown in Fig. 6. This valve has two ports 2 and 3 spaced from one another a distance equal to the distance between two of the ports S U and T V of the plate K and adapted to be brought into register with them in that order. The inner face of the valve or that lying adjacent the plate is provided with a recess 4 lying between the two ports 2 and 8 just described and opening through the bottom of the valve body. This 'ecess is adapted to be brought in register with either of the ports T U as shown, for example, in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively. The bottom of the recess communicates with a channel 5 in the floor of the steam chest. The valve overlies said channel and prevents entrance of live steam thereto from said steam chest. Each end of said valve W is provided with a similar recess 6 'Z in its inner face also communicating with the channel 5 by also opening through the be"- tom of the valve body, adapted to be brought into register with the outer ports S V of the plate K as shown in Figs. t and 5. The

channel 5 is the passage for the exhaust steam from the cylinder A and the steam is liberated through a conduit 8 in the bottom of said channel.

9 is a valve rod extending through the end Wall of the steam chest through a suitable stnfling box 10, Fig. 4:, said valve rod being suitably connected with the mecha nism of the engine such as an eccentric strap or the like by which in the operation of the engine the steam is cut off automatically at the proper intervals as in common practic The operation of the engine is as tollows :Considering Fig. 1, it will be observed that the steam trom the chest enters the cylinder through the ports 3 U P E and the passage B. lhe piston indicated at A is being driven toward the left and in consequence the exhaust at the opposite side of the piston finds exit through the passage C the ports F O T into the recess 4- of th valve W, thechannel 5 and the exhaust conduit 8, the engine rotating to the right. In the next action of the valve W the position shown in Fig. 2 is taken, having moved to the right, the port 2 being new brought into register with the ports T O F. The steam now enters the cylinder through the passage C, the exhaust being through the channel 13 ports E P U into the recess st and channel 5. During these operations the ports 0 P of the valve J have been in register with the ports F T and E U or the cylinder wall and the plate K respectively. If new the said valve J is shifted so as to bring its ports N and P into register with the ports H and G re spectively, as shown in Figs. 4- and 5, a reversal of the direction of drive of the engine will result. From the fact that the ports F F are closed to the passage of steam in either direction and the ports G H are open the steam will pass through these instead. The live steam. due to the movement of the valve to open the ports 3, V, i now enters the pa. go 7 3 of the cylinder and arrests the inovcn'ic. the piston and drives it in the other direction the c.' ;haust as shown in Fig. i, passing through ports H N and S iutodhc recess 7 of the valve lV and thence into the channel 5. in the next movement of the valve 2V to the position shown in Fig. 5,

U is brought into register with the the port 4 7 ports S N li so that the live steam now passes through the channel C to the cylinder, the exhaustiiuding its way through passage B ports (i l. and V into the recess 6 and finally into the channel 5.

lit observed that the engine may he operated in either direction and reversed by a mere shifting of the valve J which has a very small area of exposed surface to the steam pressure which is merely the small area lying opposite the ports 2 and 3 of the valve lV, a resistance insuiiicient to prevent the tree manual adjustment of said valve.

It is observed that the construction throughout is quite simple and that there is little or no wear upon the valve J. After long use should any wear occur suliicient to permit the steam to leak around the valve it may be removed and properly dressed and the trame M may also be dressed to have the same thickness as the valve and the inner face oi. the plate K may likewise be dressed so that the snug sliding fit is restored.

The manner of securing together the frame M. the plate lQ nnd the steam chest L is simple and ell cctive admitting of easily and quickly disassembling of parts whenever required with the least amount of work and complications.

The passages through the ports A, J, K, lV are very short and are not of such size as to cause the loss of an appreciable amount of steam, there being no cavities such as to hold the steam as in some devices of which we are familiar and that are very large steam wasters by reason of said cavities and of long passages between the steam box and the inlets or ports in the cylinder wall.

e may make such changes in the structure of the device that may be found desirable and such as may fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the accompanying claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim In a. reversing mechanism, the combination with an engine cylinder and its steam chest, said cylinder including two pairs of ports extending through its wall, each pair of ports communicating with and being com inon to a single separate passage leading to each end of the cylinder cavity, a plate spaced from said wall and provided with openings corresponding in number and position to said ports in said cylinder wall and adapted to communicate ith the cylinder cavity a valve lying in. the space between said plate and said wall adapted for reversing the direction oi travel of the steam to said cylinder. the same being provided with two openings spaced whereby each is adapted in one position of the valve to register with one of the ports of each pair of ports in said wall, and being provided also with an opening between said two openings whereby in another position of the valve the said opening and one of the two said open ings will register with adii'ierent port of each said pair oi ports, and a *alve having two openings each adapted to direct the steam into any one of the four openings of the said plate, there being a groove in one of the walls of the steam chest and an exhaust port communicating with and extending out of said groove, said valve adapted to overlie and cover said recess. and a series of three recesses in that face of the valve lying upon the said plate. each of said recesses adapted to register with. a port of said plate constituting an exhaust port, said recesses both opening through the valve at its side overlying the groove and communicating with said groove in any position of said valve.

In testimony whereof we allix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

SOLOMON KING. JOSEPH KING. \Vitnesses L. E. Strrirnnnaxn, EARL KING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

